One Synth Challenge #83: MPowerSynth by MeldaProduction (Z.Prime Wins!)

[Dart_music]

Ignore if this is common info - I searched and did not found ****
I had some problems assigning the MIDI controllers to Multiparameters (I am using Arturia Minilab btw). I got many Multiparameters changing when rotating just one knob etc.

Here it goes:

You right click M1 etc. and click "attach MIDI controller",
The MIDI settings window opens.
Then you rotate the knob, ok.
Then you MUST unselect the LEARN button in MIDI settings window (it is active by default, just click it).
Then click OK. MIDI settings window closes.
Do this to all M1, M2 etc... up to M8

The unselect part was the problem.

Btw, I really like Mpowersynth!

[Arctix]

Hi! This is my first time entering this challenge! I've used 19 instances of the synth and a few effect instances of: Calf Filter, Calf Reverb, Fnequalizer, LoudMax and Span, TDR Kotelnikov (I believe you write it that way, I'm to lazy to look it up!) and the LMMS peak controller as well as the LMMS Amplifier (just a knob with gain and panning) for sidechaining. I usally don't name my tracks (because they're being published or so), so that's where the rather strange name comes from! Since I'm still not that advanced, please let me know what I can do better! https://soundcloud.com/thepepperalx/arc ... l-no-names

[ClaRago]

https://soundcloud.com/clauderagonnet/c ... rved-light
13 instances of MPowerSynth
in LIVE 9 using native effects:
Reverb, EQ, Delay, Compression.

[Dartelec]

https://soundcloud.com/aaltodoc/dartele ... _megapolis

Twenty instances of Mpowersynth in Cubase 8.5.
Cubase limiter in stereo out. No other Daw effects.
Laptop (Toshiba Satellite i7 with 12gb mem) was running nicely with all these instances.

Learned a lot of new things from Mpowersynth!
Nice Challenge!

[Taron]

Yeah, that MPowerSynth is kind of begging for a few extra weeks to explore it. I don't think it looks particularly inviting, but it sure is beautifully deep (at the surface, even if that sounds like a stupid statement?!). I still haven't found how to make polyphonic modulations (envelopes for chosen parameters like OSC2 modulation depth)...maybe I'm missing one of the 198,000 parameters?!
The Advanced section seems to be global only or so... anyway. But it's one heck of a beast and it can sound very, very clean.
Hopefully I can get myself to explore more and make a little tune for this month!

Sorry for the late joining again, too. Seems like I'm tumbling off the wagon here, but I'm trying to stick around for sure!

[Taron]

Oops...sry for the extra post...

[doctorbob]

OK here's my entry for this challenge. Soundcloud has done it's usual grand job of compressing all the details away , but hopefully you can get to enjoy the full experience with a download.

All sounds made using a preset as a starting point and working from there.

DAW: Reaper 5.111

Track Details:
28 * MPowerSynth
28 * ReaEQ
6 * TAL Reverb II
6 * Classic Compressor
6 * Classic Master Limiter
2 * Twin Delay
2 * EchoMania V1_2
7 * LFX-1310 (autopan)
1 * ReaDelay

Master:
TDR VOS SlickEq
Ferric TDS
Limiter No. 6

DR:7

Photo: "Sunset at Santorini" by me.

https://soundcloud.com/doctorbob/doctor ... powersynth

[Hanz Meyzer]

Soundcloud has done it's usual grand job of compressing all the details away

I don't think soundcloud compresses anything. It's only that it encodes everything to mp3 128kbit 44,1khz (even if you upload a mp3 with exact these settings). So, for a mp3 high frequencies over around 12,5khz will be cut off. So transients can sound completely different, because these are highly dependent on high frequency content for perception.

[Hanz Meyzer]

I now deep dived into MPowerSynth:

In my opinion a mighty synth with huge capabilities, a real allround talent for daily usage. Found out that it also can sound really analog by using those OSC modulations like "PWM smooth" or "sync padded" - amazing. It also can almost exactly sound like those 80s samples which were included in the Korg M1 and 01W (choirs etc). It has a really scientific approach for parameter handling which I started to really like after some time.

Also have some critics/suggestions on the synth:

- Lot of fx or settings will lead into mono instability/ugly cancellation in mono, for example the reverb. From my point of view a synth/fx shouldn't offer any options that are not mono compatible. Like the chorus fx, it has various modes like haas, panning, phase. There are other VSTs that care more for stability also in these modes. The musician shouldn't have to know all those algorithms and its drawbacks in detail, neither he/she should be a DSP scientist

- Also the unison could be improved, in particular the way of randomization. There is only a very small window for those parameters in which it sounds like analog. For example, there could be an advanced options for unison, that provides things like a slider for the way of randomized note pitch or phase spreading, from an exponential to a logarithmic curve.

- The FM mode is nice to have, but limited. A colleague uses inline powersynth instances (in the fx section) to circumvent this limitation. That's too complicated for me, so I miss some more FM-synth like FM-matrix possibilities.

- The modulators are named "LFOs" in automation list. I find that confusing. IMO it should exactly be named like it is labeled in the GUI.

- A vertical line on the envelopes that shows the current position of a note (so, multiple lines for polyphony) would be awesome

- The way the filter env influences the filter is not very transparent in my opinion. I would like to have more visualization for that. Maybe some second env curve in the env graph in the background, showing the actual result would be helpful?

[doctorbob]

Soundcloud has done it's usual grand job of compressing all the details away

I don't think soundcloud compresses anything. It's only that it encodes everything to mp3 128kbit 44,1khz (even if you upload a mp3 with exact these settings). So, for a mp3 high frequencies over around 12,5khz will be cut off. So transients can sound completely different, because these are highly dependent on high frequency content for perception.

Yeah, sorry - I know it transcodes, but it doesn't do a very good job sometimes. Some content just doesn't fair well at 128kbit. As you say the effect is to muck up nice fast transients, which gives you the psycho-acoustic perception of losing the dynamics - I guess I used the wrong wording to explain myself! My bad.

dB

[Taron]

Oh, I might be risking to lose sympathies here, but I really don't think the highest quality sound reproduction is a necessity for a good tune. If the music works, it will work with or without the fine nuances. Most of us are anyway too old to hear the really high frequencies anymore, hahahaha...

Anyway... just thought I'd help bring it a little back to music rather than hifi. I'm a total hifi-moron, really, don't care about all the details, otherwise I couldn't listen to a thing in my convertible, hahaha.

So, yeah, anybody's rank in this won't be explained by soundcloud's transcoding, mostly because we're all on it. Isn't there also this high quality download option? (hifi-moron here, just to remind you! I've never downloaded hq)

[doctorbob]

@Taron, of course, you are completely right. A good tune is a good tune, and bad one ... well, least said the better eh?

I only made the comment because this time my uploaded transcoded tune really does lose a lot of detail, nothing more nothing less (you know me!). But yes, final placing is not based on the "hi fi"!!

Musically speaking - if you use phones on my track, please listen out for the quieter details lurking around - if you crank up the speakers, watch out for the sub-bass, it was blowing air into my face from my monitors through the forward facing bass ports!!!

I must echo what has been said about the synth. It is very capable and amazingly versatile, and yes, 80's style sounds are easy peasy, and sound excellent. I wasn't sure how well it (or just me) could make what I call "authentic" sounding "real instruments", not that a synth HAS to be able to do this as there are many physical modelling synths which can do this.

In the end, the point of OSC is to write a good tune, and use the current synth to create sounds which you feel fit the particular "instrument" in the context of your given track. Lots of sounds can sound pretty rubbish in isolation, but once buried in a mix, can take on a new and exciting life.

Hope we are now back on track talking about the music and OSC/MPowerSynth.

dB

[doctorbob]

Ooops - now I have double posted - bah! Sorry. dB

[7angram]

Soundcloud's transcoding can cause some unexpected grief. For my entry this month, the Soundcloud encode caused my hi hats to have a nasty phasing issue that wasn't in the original. It took a few extra uploads to sort out the issue (including having to sign up for a Pro account, just so that I can replace a track....thanks Soundcloud )

In the end I had to make MPowersynth mono for the hihats (which is a simple routing trick in Reaper) and give them a slight pan and low pass. The annoying thing was that even if I encoded a low quality (128Khz) mp3 out of Reaper, I couldn't replicate the phasing issues that Soundcloud exhibited. It took several uploads and listens on SC to come up with a solution. So yeah there is something a bit funky with SC encodes. None of my other OSC tracks had this issue, so I am thinking that it must be ultra high frequency stereo information that it struggles with...mp3's of course stripping out much of that high freq detail that we supposedly can't hear, unless you are a dog

And in case anyone wasn't aware, when you enable the download option for you track, the public downloads the exact same wave file that you uploaded. This includes the same filename that you uploaded! From now on I will be careful to rename this to the artist/songname and not my project file name. I had thought that SC would have renamed this for you, but nope it doesn't...so just an FYI

[7angram]

In the end, the point of OSC is to write a good tune, and use the current synth to create sounds which you feel fit the particular "instrument" in the context of your given track. Lots of sounds can sound pretty rubbish in isolation, but once buried in a mix, can take on a new and exciting life.

dB

+1 absolutely! I almost don't care what a patch sounds like in isolation, unless it is heard somewhat in isolation in a mix. It is all about how it layers up with the other sounds. I find that some people obsess over getting a patch sounding amazing, but it truth most of those really amazing "wow" patches don't work that well in a mix, and you end up having to use lots of filtering/eq to get them to fit!

I mainly work on the principle of layering up multiple simpler patches that each are in their own frequency and stereo space with the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. But as always, there are no hard rules and do whatever serves your song